AgriMarketing Program — Core Stream
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- The heaviest thing to produce is registration and legal paperwork. 14 ask for that.
- Scored mainly on market demand and growth. 19 lead with that.
- What does not disqualify you: No incorporation docs for First Nations; Support letters are optional. 119 record an exemption like this.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
The AgriMarketing Core Stream provides non-repayable contributions exclusively to national not-for-profit industry associations and Indigenous organizations for export marketing activities such as trade missions, market research, and international promotion of Canadian agricultural products. Individual businesses and SMEs are not eligible for this stream — for-profit agri-food businesses should apply to the separate AgriMarketing Market Diversification SME Stream (ID 206).
Eligibility Requirements
- Must be a national not-for-profit industry association, cooperative, or sector council operating in the agriculture/agri-food sector
- Indigenous individuals or organizations (First Nation, Inuit, or Métis) are also eligible
- Must operate on a national basis — regional not-for-profit associations may still be considered where there is no representation at the national level, if they can demonstrate the ability to deliver a project that is national and/or agriculture and agri-food sector-wide in scope
- Activities focus on export market development; the programme objectives also cover raising the visibility of Canadian products with consumers in Canada
- Must contribute at least 30% of eligible project costs (50% standard; 70% covered for Indo-Pacific/underrepresented groups) — your share must be CASH; in-kind contributions are ineligible
- For-profit businesses are not eligible for this stream — see AgriMarketing Market Diversification SME Stream instead
- Quebec-based organizations must demonstrate compliance with Quebec's M-30 Act (Act Respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif) during the application assessment process and before entering into a contribution agreement
- Applicants should be a member of the Canada Brand and should consult trade commissioners located in each country/region where proposed activities will take place (recommended practice, not a hard eligibility requirement)
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $2,000,000 per year (max $10M over 5 years); 50% cost-share (70% for Indo-Pacific/underrepresented groups)
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 70% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- No fixed deadline — intake open until funding is fully committed; program ends March 31, 2028
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Moderate — standard application process
Moderate competition — prepare a strong application
Moderate — standard requirements
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipFocus your project on your top 3-4 target markets per year: reviewers want S.M.A.R.T. outcomes tied to a small, well-supported set of markets rather than broad coverage.
Rejection Pitfalls 10
- For-profit company applying to the core program (associations/not-for-profits only — redirect to SME Market Diversification stream)
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents on agriculture.canada.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-11.
6 of the sources
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What Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada favours
Focus each year on top 3-4 target markets with SMART outcomes◦
“You should take time to focus your projects on your top 3 or 4 target markets per year – these target markets should support your organization's strategic goals for the project by generating S.M.A.R.T. outcomes (that is, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely)”
The form
Eligibility
- 1Eligibility checklistcheckboxes
Project overview
- 2Project titleshort answer
- 3Project objectivewritten answer
Provide a clear and concise summary of the project, using non-technical plain language. The summary should provide the following elements:
- 4Project descriptionwritten answer
Your detailed description should clearly address the following elements:
- 5Organizational capacity – projectwritten answer
- 6Primary project locationshort answer
- 7Environmental considerations (Impact Assessment Act)selection
- 8Project data collection (NAICS and HS codes)selection
- 9Groups who will directly benefit from the project's activitiescheckboxes
- 10Previously received fundingyes/no + written
- 11Official languagesyes/no + written
Applicant information
- 12Applicant informationtable
- 13Organization typeselection
- 14Organizational capacitywritten answer
- 15Organizational capacity – diversity questions (alternate cost-share)checkboxes
Project team
- 16Project teamtable
Activities and budget
- 17Detailed project budgetspreadsheet
- 18Activity detailstable
- 19Activity descriptionwritten answer
- 20Goal and type of activityselection
- 21Deliverableswritten answer
- 22Performance measurestable
- 23Activity cost by fiscal yeartable
Funding and budget summary
- 24Funding sourcestable
- 25Budget summarytable
Documents
- 26Documentslist
- 27AgriMarketing Program Questionnairelist
Contacts and submission
- 28Contactstable
- 29Declarationscheckbox
- 30Review and submitcheckbox
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Does this project deliver real sector impact?
Show them Name the market gap you are meeting, the 3–4 target markets you will focus on, and the forecast numbers each activity should produce.◦
In the funder’s words · 2
- Scope and duration of your project
- Importance of proposed eligible activities for greater impact to the sector
- 2
Is the budget reasonable for the outcome?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 3
Is the whole funding picture honest?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 4
Can you deliver and report on it?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
13 questions the reviewer answers about you, in Premium.
Where applicants fail
“If you reach out to 5 or more markets at the same time, you should consider ways to prioritize and narrow your markets of interest.”
“Funding support may not be provided to cover the cost associated with routine activities previously undertaken by the applicant using funding from the program in previous years.”
“However, any costs incurred before we deem your application complete are ineligible for reimbursement, nor will those costs be considered part of your cost share.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 8 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
5 more rules that can reject you · 4 more criteria · 27 more prompts
Do you pass?
8 can rule you out; 2 are preferences. Tick the ones you meet.
Your organisation
Not-for-profit applicant
Not-for-profit: Organizations that operate solely for social welfare, civic improvement, pleasure or recreation, or any other purpose except profit.
Indigenous applicant
Indigenous (First Nation, Inuit, Métis): A First Nation, Inuk (Inuit) or Métis individual or organization.
The project
No single-company benefit
Costs incurred to benefit an individual for-profit company as opposed to generic activities to benefit the overall sector
2 things this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Maximum fundingUp to $2M/year to $10M total
up to $2 million per year or a maximum of $10 million over 5 years
Cost share50% cash; 70% for 15 markets
AAFC a maximum of 50%, you a minimum of 50%, cash only. An additional 20% (AAFC 70%, you 30%) for eligible activities targeting 15 named Indo-Pacific markets, or where the majority of the business (more than 50%) is owned or led by underrepresented and marginalized groups
Stacking limitGovernment funding capped at 85% total
Total government funding (inclusive of federal departments, agencies, and crown corporations, provincial/territorial, and municipal governments) cannot exceed 85% of total project funding.
Advance paymentsPossible at Canada's discretion
Canada may, at Canada's discretion, provide one or more advance payments of Canada's Contribution to the Recipient.
Your shareCash contributions only
Your portion of the cost-share must be cash contributions.
StackingGovernment funding cannot exceed 85% of project
Total government funding (inclusive of federal departments, agencies, and crown corporations, provincial/territorial, and municipal governments) cannot exceed 85% of total project funding.
Costs before approvalCosts from April 1, 2026; earlier costs ineligible
Program costs can be eligible as of April 1, 2026. However, any costs incurred before we deem your application complete are ineligible for reimbursement, nor will those costs be considered part of your cost share.
What it pays for · 8
- Administrative fees will be calculated at a 10% flat rate that will be cost shared.
- Contributions toward salaries and benefits should not exceed 25% of project costs
- Benefit costs must not exceed 25% of the eligible salary costs for each employee who works on the project
- advertising, marketing, and media planning agencies to implement local promotional strategies and recommend paid media placements
- Economy airfare for all travel
- Any International (non-U.S.) trip outside the traveller's headquarters with overnight stays: $575 CAD/day
- costs of product samples used at events to promote the sector under a unified Canada Brand (but not the promotion of a single producer's logo or visual identity)
- costs related to trade show displays (panels, booths, banners, stands, etc.)
What it does not pay for · 8
- costs of entertainment, hospitality, gifts, prizes, and giveaways
- memberships in trade and professional organizations
- retail listing fees and slotting charges
- costs toward ongoing or regular communication with members, such as website and database maintenance, annual general meetings, and value chain roundtables
- costs incurred to benefit an individual for-profit company as opposed to generic activities to benefit the overall sector
- costs toward any foreign direct investments
- costs toward tourism activities
- Performance pay (for example, bonuses) is ineligible
From application to money
- Contact the program firstContact program before you apply
- Apply onlineApply online with budget, questionnaire, documents
- Decision letterApproval or rejection within 100 business days
- Sign the agreementNegotiate and sign contribution agreement
- Report each yearYear-end financial report within 180 days
- Program endsMarch 31, 2028Program ends March 31, 2028
In the funder’s words · 6
- Contact the program first
- Due to high demand, please contact the program to discuss funding before you apply.
- Apply online
- Submit the AgriMarketing Program Application Form online and upload the Detailed project budget, Questionnaire and supporting documents. (The application intake period for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 program years will remain open until available funding is fully committed or if otherwise announced here.)
- Decision letter
- assess your application and send you an approval or a rejection notification letter within 100 business days of receiving a complete application package
- Sign the agreement
- You'll also work with the program officer to negotiate the details of the contribution agreement you must sign to receive funding.
- Report each year
- the Recipient shall submit a year-end financial report to Canada no later than 180 days following the end of the Fiscal Year to which the year-end financial report relates.
- Program ends
- The program ends March 31, 2028.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win AgriMarketing Program — Core Stream
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 10 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 10-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 6-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 8-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 10
Eligible Expenses 11
Ineligible Expenses 10
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Low RiskHow AgriMarketing Program — Core Stream Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AgriMarketing Program — Core Stream | Up to $2,000,000 | Moderate | Reimbursement | No fixed deadline —... |
| AgriScience Program — Projects Component | Up to $5,000,000 per project | Hard | Reimbursement | Ongoing |
| Export Development Canada (EDC) Finan... | Varies | Easy | Equity | Ongoing |
| Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Financing | Varies | Easy | Loan | Ongoing |
| Trade Commissioner Service – Export S... | Advisory services (non-financial) | Easy | Not Applicable | Ongoing |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about AgriMarketing Program — Core Stream